Axiom Announces $1 Million CDC Contract
October 2, 2002
Falls Church, Virginia - Axiom Resource Management, Inc. announced today that its Conwal Division has won a major, two-year contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fight the AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa.
"Nearly 30 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Africa," said A. Douglas Peardon, Axiom's chief operating officer, in announcing the award. "That includes more than 2.5 million children. Nothing this company does could be more important than helping to contain and eliminate this plague."
Axiom's Conwal Division is currently supporting CDC-funded public health programs to improve AIDS and HIV education and awareness in Africa. This contract award will expand the support Axiom is already providing the CDC's Modeling and Reinforcement to Combat HIV/AIDS (MARCH) initiatives.
MARCH initiatives develop positive role models using fictional characters to attract the attention of target audiences. The healthy behaviors that characterize these role models are then reinforced through interpersonal relationships with community leaders, local volunteers, and neighborhood groups.
"Drawing on social cognitive theory, these new programs will use entertainment as a vehicle for educating adults as well as children about the causes of HIV/AIDS and how to prevent its transmission," said John Sheridan, Axiom's team leader for the project. "The project will also help local communities develop the human resources necessary to change the social norms that encourage the spread of HIV/AIDS."
"This is deadly serious work," Sheridan continued. "For the past two years we've been fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa with the CDC. We are humbled by this new award, but eager to get to work."
The contract, with an initial award of $1 million, can be expanded to cover anti-AIDS initiatives in Asia and South America and could be valued at as much as $11 million.
Axiom Resource Management, Inc. is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia with branch offices in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Georgia, Colorado, and California.
For Further Information Contact Frank Cumberland, 703-998-0327.